Starting My Cultivation With Time Management-Chapter 952 - 92: Must be a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal

"Senior, could you be the Taiqing Daoist Virtue Celestial Venerable?" Qiu Changtian cupped his hands respectfully.

"Taiqing Daoist Virtue Celestial Venerable?" The elder asked in surprise, "What kind of title is that?"

Qiu Changtian was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

Judging by the elder’s expression, he didn’t seem to be feigning ignorance. Moreover, with the elder’s terrifying cultivation level and elevated rank, it’s unlikely he’d bother lying about such a matter.

So he’s truly not the Taiqing Daoist Virtue Celestial Venerable? Or perhaps...

"It’s possible that after this elder left this realm long ago, the Human Race collectively posthumously gave him this title." The Kunlun Mirror explained.

Qiu Changtian considered it for a moment and found it plausible, so he decided not to dwell further on the identity of the elder. frёewebnoѵēl.com

"Let’s not speak of other matters." The elder continued calmly, "Ordinarily, the rules of this secret realm should not be interfered with by outsiders."

"But the reason I’ve stepped forward to stop you is that, aside from you, there are no more cultivators left in this secret realm—if we wait for you and that Heavenly Demon to wear each other down, who knows how much longer it would take."

"It was merely luck." Qiu Changtian said modestly, "I apologize for causing trouble for you, Senior."

The elder waved his hand and continued:

"Merely luck? That’s not a humble way of putting it."

"Fortune and fate are the most elusive things in this world. Some strive tirelessly and yet live mediocre lives, bitterly unwilling to accept their limited lifespan; others drift idly with ease but encounter opportunity after opportunity, soaring upward."

"To claim ’luck’ is already to achieve one of the rarest things beneath the heavens. If you truly obtained the position of the master of the Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden through luck, you should declare it proudly."

"But from what I see, your success this time is less due to luck and more to the cumulative results of your past cultivation path... Yet even on that cultivation path, how many great opportunities must have combined to bring you to your current cultivation realm?"

At this juncture, the elder suddenly smirked and said:

"But let’s set that aside. Outside this world—isn’t its end already upon us?"

"What do you mean by this, Senior?" Qiu Changtian immediately became wary, thinking that this elder within the secret realm might not be a mere apparition but possibly a powerful avatar capable of perceiving the outside world.

"Heh." The elder sneered and said, "Only when the world’s end is near do the four secret realms—from the White Jade Capital to the Great Bright Hall—manifest and open."

"Since you’ve managed to enter the Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden Secret Realm, it means the world outside can’t hold out much longer... What’s wrong, did your sect neglect to tell you about this?"

Qiu Changtian: .........

"I would like to hear more." He decided to feign ignorance, hoping to glean more information from this elder—perhaps even some secrets unknown to the immortals.

"This matter is not so complex." The elder turned and clasped his hands behind his back as he spoke, "Birth, aging, illness, and death are the natural cycles of existence. Neither mortals nor cultivators can escape this cycle."

"Even this world, having its starting point in time, naturally has an endpoint of destruction."

"And the world you live in has long entered the late stage of its lifespan... Haven’t you noticed that many powerful Daoist magics from history have gradually been lost over time?"

"I have indeed noticed." Qiu Changtian reflected and said, "I originally assumed it was because the Cultivation Realm’s practitioners guarded their secrets too jealously, unwilling to pass down their sect’s supreme techniques, leading to the loss of core teachings when their sects fell."

"What you said is one reason." The elder sneered and said, "But think about it: The mightier the sect’s supreme techniques, the stronger the cultivators who master them, and the more powerful their sect as a whole, which would naturally attract more talented disciples."

"Why, then, do such sects decline at a certain point and even face total collapse?"

Qiu Changtian pondered for a moment before tentatively asking:

"Senior, are you suggesting that the issue lies in the recruitment of disciples?"

"As the world’s lifespan enters its late stage, the inevitable result is a decline in the concentration of spiritual energy in heaven and earth." The elder stated indifferently, "Geniuses will continue to emerge, but their overall numbers and quality will inevitably diminish."

"In the past, elite disciples of sects all received mastery of supreme techniques, but increasingly, fewer have managed to cultivate them to perfection. Then, people can only cultivate them to barely usable levels, and eventually, entry-level mastery becomes difficult... Until eventually, no one can enter cultivation at all, at which point transmission is lost. How else can it be preserved?"

"Add to that the reasons you mentioned, such as sects jealously guarding their techniques and refusing to pass them beyond their direct disciples. This further exacerbates the overall degradation of the Cultivation Realm’s collective ability. If my calculations are correct, the number of Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortals outside might already be fewer than five."

Qiu Changtian: .........

"What’s wrong? Could there be more than ten remaining?" The elder asked in astonishment, stroking his beard. "That would truly surprise me."

"Reporting to Senior." Qiu Changtian cupped his hands and said, "There are currently no Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortals left—only Great Luo Golden Immortals remain."

The elder’s expression froze momentarily before he said in shock:

"No Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortals at all? The decline is this severe?!"

"In that case, aren’t you all destined to perish alongside this world?"

"May I ask, Senior." Qiu Changtian was equally astonished and asked, "What do you mean by ’destined to perish alongside this world’? According to my knowledge, those who can achieve Feather Transformation and Ascension can escape this world using the Ascension Force and reach the Immortal Realm…"

"It’s not that simple!" The elder frowned and dismissed the notion, saying, "What you call Ascension Force merely allows one to break free from this world’s restraints."

"Understand this: From this world to the next lies the nearly infinite expanse of the Chaotic Galaxy, filled with numerous Demon Heads blocking the way. Without the indestructible body of a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal, how can one traverse such countless dangers? Death in the process is inevitable—there’s no other outcome!"

"To ascend to the Immortal Realm you speak of, one must at least possess the cultivation realm and strength of a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal… Although if you’re only a Great Luo Golden Immortal but receive the protection and guidance of a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal, you could also manage to cross the Chaotic Galaxy."

"I see." Qiu Changtian marveled inwardly and asked further, "What about Golden Immortals, Heavenly Immortals, and Earth Immortals?"

"Golden Immortals have flaws in their essence and fundamentally cannot succeed in ascending, with or without a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal’s protection." The elder replied without a second thought. "As for Heavenly Immortals and Earth Immortals—what cultivation realms are those?"

Qiu Changtian explained it to him, and the elder responded with an unreserved sneer:

"Heavenly Immortals and Earth Immortals? They’re incomplete beings—what qualifies them as immortals?"

"Young man, if you wish to achieve Feather Transformation someday, you must aim to ascend as a Chaotic Great Luo Golden Immortal. Don’t entertain any other possibilities!"

With that, he abruptly waved his sleeve.

Qiu Changtian felt the world spinning around him, and then suddenly realized he was no longer inside the Seven Treasures Mysterious Garden.

All around him was pitch-black chaos, scattered with specks of starlight glowing like lamps, continuously flickering yet unyielding.

Could this be the vast universe outside the Heavenly Sphere?